Newsmakers Of This Week

Last week was one heck of a ride for the startup and technology sector with Apple again falling in clutches of US Law firms and again with same issue, law firm seeking the company’s assistance to hack into an iPhone used by a criminal. Like last time, this time too, a third party assisted the US Justice Department to hack the phone. In the Indian startup corridor, lots of turn arounds and fall outs were witnessed. Many of the startups opted to cut down its core team due to the immense pressure from the investors. Companies such as Zomato and Snapdeal have already flushed out many employees. This week app-based cab service providers Ola and Uber faced a tough run in Delhi since the government put these companies under a strict scanner. Delhi Government impounded almost 50 taxis since they were found overcharging customers during its ‘Odd-Even Dobara’ scheme. Techstory brings you the ‘Newsmakers of this Week’ a package of news articles which literary rocked the industry this week.

Startups Are Up For Employees Layoff; Face Extreme Pressure From Investors

18 April, 2016, New Delhi: The year 2016 has not been a smooth ride for the startup industry. Most of the companies are facing a tough run in their businesses and that reflects in their operations as they cut off their team. Already startup giants such as Zomato and Snapdeal have opted for the layoff option and it seems like others are also gearing up to walk on the same path.

Uber And Ola Again Hit The Headline In The Capital; Kejriwal Warns Strict Action Against The Taxi Aggregators

18 April, 2016, New Delhi: Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal has warned app-based taxi service provider companies Ola and Uber after he received few complaints from the commuters of hiking the fares during rush hour. The CM took to his twitter account and tweeted that strict action will be taken for such unethical practices that includes cancellation of permits and impounding of vehicles.

19 April, 2016, USA: A heart-breaking news which has turned the technology and startup sector upside down is that Bill Campbell has died at the age of 75. The legendary mentor to some of Silicon Valley’s most important entrepreneurs and executives including Steve Jobs and Larry Page, was suffering from cancer.

19 April, 2016, New York: Uber has hit the first road block in its food delivery service, the company has called off its instant food delivery service in New York City. According to the letter sent by the company to its UberEATS customers, the company announced it is shutting down what it called instant delivery. The company only offered two pre-fixed dishes, such as sandwich or salad from a restaurant, and would promise to deliver it under 10 minutes.

19 April, 2016, Beijing: Despite of the fact that Japan has managed to bag India’s first bullet train project, China is wooing the country to build high speed railway on other routes. According to the report in PTI, China has claimed that it has the technology and expertise which will help India in building the high-speed rail network. China has also said that this move will bring enormous economic growth and social benefits to the people.

20 April, 2016, New Delhi: Techno Sat Comm and PING Network –multi-platform video networks are coming together to roll out what will potentially be India’s largest platform to serve content to passengers and work with advertisers, keen to reach Delhi Metro’s 2.75 million passengers. The free-to-consumer service will be launched in the second half of this year.

20 April, 2016, New Delhi: Delhi Government has firmed its grip over the app based cab service providers. The move came into the lime-light, after Arvind Kejriwal, CM, Delhi has recently warned the service provider for their misconduct and threatened them with strict action including cancellation of the licence and seizer of vehicles. An official said on Wednesday that fifty more app based cabs have been seized in Delhi for over-charging commuters.

SoftBank’s Investors Call For Internal Investigation Which May Lead to Nikesh Arora’s Dismissal

21 April, 2016, USA: A group of investors in SoftBank Group Crop. has called for an internal probe which may lead to the dismissal of Nikesh Arora, President and CEO, SoftBank. The group has submitted an 11 page letter asking about Arora’s track record and qualification as president and second-in-commander to billionaire founder Masayoshi Son.

Housing.com’s Agony Continues As Three More Co-Founders Leave The Company

22 April, 2016, Mumbai: Housing.com which has become one of the controversial sites after the exit of co-founder, Rahul Yadav has again hit the media headlines as three more co-founders leave the company. In the recent development, Abhishek Anand, Ravish Naresh and Sanat Ghosh, co-founders of the company have left the firm to start their own venture.

The Government Might Wave 30% Sourcing Norm For Apple As It Plans To Open Stores In India

22 April, 2016, India: If speculations of the markets are to be believed then the technology giant, Apple might get an extra cushion from the Indian government. The government is planning to waive the requirement of domestic sourcing for Apple which will enable the company to launch its own stores across the length and breadth of the country.

US Justice Department Gains Accesses To iPhone; Drops Its New York Fight With Apple

23 April, 2016, USA: After gaining accesses to an iPhone involved in a drug case in New York, the US Justice Department has dropped its fight with the technology giant Apple. According to the Reuter’s report, the US Justice Department on Friday dropped its effort to force Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to help unlock an iPhone in a drug case in New York after someone provided authorities the passcode to access the device.

Nitin's passion for covering news filled with facts and valuable information has taken him to explore new horizons in the field of journalism. He strongly believes that startups in India have great potential of changing the face of the country and is extremely passionate about covering great work happening in the startups and tech ecosystem in India.